Liza
by CharismaticPheonix
Summary: Hermione defends Draco Malfoy during his trial, but will he be thankful?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1- The Trial

Hermione's POV:

He looked all the same, his steel like grey eyes devoid of any emotion and hope. But it wasn't like he had always been like this. I remember the days when he used to be a very notorious arrogant youth, throwing insults and taunts on people whom he considered inferior to him and I was included in that category. He played many pranks and wherever something fishy occurred he was included. He had the "I am the best so bow to me" attitude, and his infamous smirks never left his face. Overall I can say he wasn't an angel, ofcourse not. Infact he was a pure outrageous git who liked to make the life of the people he hated, a living hell. But nevertheless he was lively then.

It happened since the summers of our sixth year when everything changed. The looming shadows of the upcoming war with Voldemort had an effect on everyone. The students no more laughed and walked down the hallway in the same carefree manner they once used to. Quite and serious faces as if became a trend at Hogwarts. The fear of war and most importantly the fear of losing their loved ones took its toll on every heart. So yes we were upset by what was to come and Hogwarts wasn't the same like all jubilant and cheery like before but the students hadn't become complete zombies like him. There were moments in our dormitories with friends which brought back memories of happiest times and made us laugh, giving us hope and courage to fight through it all and keep going but he seemed to have lost all of it. I had seen the hollow look in his eyes, instead of his smirks now the sadness never left his face. During classes he used to stare off far in space and during the breakfasts, lunches and dinners when the other Slytherins would be chatting and enjoying their time with their friends he would sit and stare at his food as if trying to drive a hole through it. Then on the protests of his cronies he would eat small bits and pieces just enough to keep him alive and leave the hall. He no more threw insults on us. I am not saying I liked it but since the last six years I had grown so used to it that it just seemed awkward and out of place when the blonde Slytherin would pass by without any nasty comment. It was just that the world didn't seemed normal without him not being a jerk.

At the end of the year I learnt from Harry that he had become a death eater and was given the task to kill Dumbledore.

"So he was the one who killed Dumbledore?" I had asked in a shaking voice.

"No, he was afraid. It was Snape who did the deed." Harry had replied.

"Oh." Was all that left my mouth and I released a sigh I never knew I was holding.

Since the time I have known him I always was sure of one thing that he had a heart. And from Harry's ans I was satisfied that I had been right. It was true he was an arrogant, stuck out, pompous, infuriating person but as I said earlier he was just notorious and never evil. He always liked to create chaos and to bother others but he would never go to the extent of torturing or killing someone. That's what made him different from other dark souls and that's what made me not to hate him as much as I will a pure death eater.

I also was of the opinion that if he couldn't kill Dumbledore he couldn't have taken the dark mark by his own will. I knew his family background and he was destined to become a death eater so this had to happen whether he wanted it or not. I figured out it must have been the reason that had brought the drastic change in his personality, that's why he turned from a vibrant youth to a very serious hopeless looking person.

With Dumbledore's death situations became even worse. Now with no one very powerful to stop them and from the support of Voldemort himself the cases of death eaters escaping from Azakaban and killing of innocent lives became frequent. The war hadn't even started and we had begun to lose our kiths and kin's already. We didn't return to Hogwarts for a seventh year as Snape had taken over as the headmaster thus snatching from us the only refuse and our home from many years. It was that year that I lost my parents. I remember the horrible night so well. I was sleeping in my bedroom when I heard blood curling screams of my parents. I woke up with a jolt and dashed out for the living room where I found their bodies lying lifeless on the floor and few ugly death eaters laughing maniacally at their achievement. I was so broken and taken aback seeing my parent's dead that I was in no condition to fight. I didn't care that the death eaters in front of me were going to kill me, at the moment all I wanted to do was bawl my eyes out and cry and cry and cry. I could hear the monsters laughing at me but my eyes never left the faces of my parents. I crawled to them and began wailing, the sight was giving immense pleasure to the death eaters as was evident from their never ending laughter. I heard one of them say,

"Cry mudblood cry, soon you too are going to join your mudblood parents in death."

Suddenly I felt a jolt, anger rushed through my veins and in a moment I felt myself filled with unusual amount of energy. I turned towards the death eaters and pointed my wand at them in violent rage. I didn't care if they outnumbered me. They were going to suffer for what they did to my parents. The laughter around me died down as they saw me in attacking position.

"Oh poor dear, fifteen against one, touch luck that is." One of them chuckled out sarcastically and soon they were pointing their wands against me with sick grins over their faces. They all shouted out different deadly curses all together and I shouted out Avada Kedavara and at that very moment I felt someone's arms encircling my waist from behind. The person made me dodge from my position because of which my curse got deflected and so it didn't hit any of the death eaters nor did their curses hit me. I realized the intruder was Harry, he must have sensed that I was in trouble.

Harry actually had given me a magical pendant when we were staying at the Weasleys for summers. He gave it to me saying that being a muggleborn, I and my family were the most targeted victims of the death eaters so if I was in trouble the pendant would shine and he would come to help. I had accepted the pendant sensing Harry's fear to be quiet right. But then in that moment I was regretting it as to why I ever accepted the pendant. I didn't want Harry there. I didn't want to be rescued. I wanted to kill the murderers of my parents even if I got killed in the act it didn't matter to me.

Harry made me dodge all the attacking curses that were thrown on our side while I struggled hard against him shouting at him to leave me alone and let me kill the death eaters.

"Hermione calm down, they are so many we can't fight them." he kept shouting. But it only earned him kicks and punches in his torso and face as I struggled to get out of his grip. And then dodging and struggling from all the attacks with me landing harsh blows on him Harry somehow managed to apparate the both of us to the Burrow.

I was a mess. I was shouting, howling and crying all at the same time as I showered punches and fatal blows at Harry.

"You pathetic excuse of a friend! Why didn't you let me kill them? Why? I wanted to knock the daylights out of those monsters. They killed my parents!" I wailed as I landed another blow at Harry.

Everyone at the Burrow was trying to calm me down but to no use.

"Hermione, you would have got yourself killed!" Harry shouted holding both my hands and shaking me wildly as to get some sense in my head.

"It would have been better; in fact now that my parents are gone I don't want to live too." I sobbed out, suddenly all the pain and wretchedness that I had felt before came back to me. I felt all the rage and energy gone and fell into Harry's arms.

He gave me a sorrowful look and hugged me tightly knowing I needed that badly and that I wasn't going to struggle anymore. I cried and cried in his embrace until I fainted.

After regaining consciousness I remained a walking zombie for weeks. Everyone at the Burrow tried to lessen my pain, but they knew I had lost something very precious and I needed lot of time to recover from it so they didn't push too hard. As more time passed I found my grief and pain turning into the feeling of vengeance. And then I decided and vowed to myself that I would take revenge from those death eaters and the master mind behind them that was Voldemort. Since then I started training even harder with Harry and Ron. My personality changed from a sad and gloomy to a determined and focused one. Determined to defeat and free the world from the monsters that were plaguing our lives, determined to make them pay for taking away the innocent lives like that of my parents. I wasn't going to let them live with it.

The days became harsher, crueler with each passing second. I, Harry and Ron searched through the forests, deserts and almost every realm of nature to find the Hocruxses which we had come to know were the sources to destroy and kill Voldemort.

We were in the Forbidden forest in search of just another Hocrux when Ron went outrageous. He said he sensed something amiss, or to say something romantic between me and Harry and he hated the feeling. I told Ron that it wasn't like that but he refused to take my words and left. I knew he had feelings for me since fourth year but I liked him only as a friend. I had never confronted him about this matter as I thought that when he would see that I never respond to his hints he will stop holding any feelings for me and would just move on. I never considered his feelings for me as strong as to make him behave so barbaric and doubt my and Harry's relationship which was obviously nothing more than that of friends.

But one day Ron returned saying that it was the locket that made him act like that. Even I and Harry were of the same belief because the locket was a Hocrux that we had been trying to destroy and Ron had been wearing it the entire day when he had left us. The hocrux had a bad effect on people and so we forgave Ron with me making my feelings quite clear to him. And he accepted it with respect; he said if I didn't wanted to be more than friends with him then he won't force me. Thus our friendship was back to the original track unstained. As the three of us continued with our search for the Hocruxses we unfortunately got caught by some death eaters. They took us to Malfoy Manor. It was there when I saw him again. He looked thin and pale, almost sick.

I had put a charm on Harry that had changed his face but it seemed the blonde Slytherin had recognized him yet he told the death eaters the opposite thus revolting to his own side by being dishonest to them. Though Bella still found out later that it was Harry after all. Then he and Ron were put down in prison in the dungeons, while I was tortured in the manor by the crazy woman. Everyone around took pleasure as I let out heart wrenching screams when she pierced a cursed knife through my bare hand craving the word Mudblood on it. All laughed at my pain and misery except one, he stood there with neutral expression on his face. Our eyes locked for a moment and I was surprised to see immense pain and suffering in them. I had never seen that in his eyes, never before. I blinked and then it was gone, his eyes were back to their emotionless state making me wonder that may be I had just imagined it. But through the rest of my torture I kept my eyes on him, I didn't know why but looking at him relaxed me a little bit. May be because he was the only one who didn't seem pleased by my torturing, he was the only one who would flinch every now and then as I would let out another excruciating scream. He wouldn't look in my direction anymore as if he wouldn't be able to endure seeing me in the miserable situation I was. So in that moment I realized that the hidden heart which he had not only prevented him from going totally dark but it also was capable of showing emotions like caring. And I knew he had cared then. Even for an enemy. Even for me.

Later I, Harry and Ron managed to escape the manor somehow with the help of Dobby the house elf. Though, poor Dobby died while rescuing us. Finally the battle which had been both dreaded and waited came. He finally switched sides and fought for the good side. The war took away many more of our loved ones but finally ended in our favor. It's been one month since the terror of Voldemort ended. The remaining death eaters and people who were found guilty of helping them in any way are being arrested and put into Azkaban from all over the wizarding world.

Today, at present is his trail, trail of Draco Malfoy.

"The people who are in favor of him being spared." The head of the jury spoke.

My hand sought up quickly. Harry and Ron followed with Ron doing it rather reluctantly. Rest from the three of us there was no one in the audience who raised hand in his favor. I felt my breath caught in my throat contemplating that it simply meant that Malfoy wasn't going to be spared.

"Miss Hermione Jean Granger, will you explain why you want Mr. Malfoy to be spared?" The head of the jury asked.

I stood up, my eyes landing on Malfoy who sat at the chair in the middle of court. He was eyeing me curiously; obvious wanting to know that why of all people it was his arc nemesis who wanted to rescue him.

I faced the jury and began,

"When Malfoy was young all he did was throwing petty insults and taunts on others. He liked annoying and bothering others but he never meant actual harm. He was a notorious kid and liked playing around. Seeing his background and the way he was taught since birth, with people and his family trying to wipe away whatsoever good in him and yet he was able to maintain the human innocence somewhere at a little spot in his heart which only grew with time is a fact worth considering. Even after becoming a death eater I can't remember he did anything which can be called as far as harmful to anyone. When he was asked to kill Dumbledore he couldn't do it because he isn't cruel. Also it happened once at Hogwarts when I had heard sobs, when I followed the voice I had found Draco crying over a dead bird. I didn't know how the bird died but I know one thing that a person who can cry over an animal's let alone a bird's death can't cause any potential harm to anyone."

At this I paused and once again looked in Malfoy's direction, he was staring at me incredulously. Of-course he wasn't to blame. He couldn't have expected me defending him and saying all this about him. He also never knew that is before now that I was there when he had cried over a dead bird because then I had left quickly without him noticing that someone was watching him.

Again turning my attention towards the jury I continued,

"Though I am not aware of his days at the Manor, but I am sure if he did any horrible deed there it would have been because he was forced to. I have a firm belief that Malfoy is not pure evil, and why I have such a belief I have already put forward the facts for that. So my opinion of him is that he actually has a heart and so won't hurt someone with his own will. And most importantly the fact that he ultimately fought for the good side prove my points as undeniably correct." I finished and sat down.

A silence followed before Harry was asked as to why he supported Malfoy. Harry just mentioned that he held the same reasons as me for why he was supporting Malfoy and Ron said the same. Of-course unlike me they weren't going to give a speech in Malfoy's favor. Not to mention, no matter even if Malfoy fought for the good side they still had those childish grudges against him. Boys I tell you.

My reverie of thoughts got interrupted as the head of jury said,

"Now those who aren't in favor of him being spared."

Now entire audience was raising hands. I wondered what could Malfoy have done even if forcefully that these people were so against him.

"Seeing that majority is against Mr. Malfoy and since it would be too time taking to listen to what grudge each one hold against him, I declare that he won't be spared. Because whatever he has done forcefully or not, they are bad deeds nonetheless. And thus punishable." The judge announced.

I hung my head low.

"But the points put forward by Miss Hermione Granger truly are worth considering and won't go unnoticed. So all I could do is reduce the victim's punishment. Thus unlike other death eaters MR. Malfoy wont' be sentenced to life imprisonment at Azkaban but will be put there for only three years." The judge stated further.

My head quickly sought up with hope, though it wasn't a complete escape for Malfoy but still it was much better than spending his entire life in a hell hole. I looked towards him and our eyes met. I felt a pang at my heart. Malfoy had always been a very beautiful person from outside and he would have been the same from inside if it wasn't for his family. I always knew it was his tyrant excuse of a father, Lucious Malfoy king of jerks who forced into becoming what the world believed him to be. But the real Malfoy was whom I knew, the one who was capable of crying and expressing his grief instead of hiding it like it's some kind of sin, the one who wasn't devoid of emotions, the one who was capable of caring, the one who was capable of maintaining his holiness even in the pitch dark of bad influence that consumed many and changed them from innocent to evil, the one who wasn't Malfoy but Draco.

I couldn't stop feeling bad for him though his punishment was reduced; three years in Azkaban meant something. It was place known for causing madness to someone in just three days and here it was a matter of three years. It wasn't at all like I fancied him or something, no way. But it just seemed too harsh for someone so handsome and smart like him to get reduced to insanity. I almost shivered thinking about it.

With the final decision being made I saw the guards coming to him to take him with them. But what happened next was quite unexpected. Draco quickly jumped out of his seat and in three long strides he reached where I was sitting in the very first row. Everyone was taken aback by his actions including me. Before anyone could compose themselves and act, he pulled me out by my hand from my seat and penetrated the tip of his wand at the side of my neck.

"Don't move anyone or I would kill her." He shouted,

"What! Is that what I get to speak in favor of him?" I was shouting in my head.

Suddenly I felt all the whatsoever good feelings I had been holding for him damned to hell. How could he be so mean? I supported him and he was saying he was going to kill me. May be I was wrong in judging him after all. I saw no one moved just as Malfoy had instructed them because they feared he would harm me. Taking his opportunity, he got apparated with me and escaped.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2- An Abandoned Place.

Narrator's Pov:

From what it looked like to Hermione, Draco had apparated the both of them to an old abandoned room filled with dust and webs. She realized that he still had his one arm wrapped tightly around her though his other arm with which he was earlier penetrating his wand into her neck was now resting by his side. He seemed completely oblivious to the girl in his hold as his mirror like eyes were quite busy scanning every inch of the room.

Hermione bit hard at his arm and at the same time stomped her foot over his making Draco jump away from her in shock.

"Ouch! What the hell Granger!" He shouted massaging his hurt arm.

" Well, I should be the one asking what the hell Malfoy!" Hermione shouted matching Draco in volume; her chocolate brown eyes flashed utter anger.

Draco was about to say something but Hermione continued,

"What the hell do you think you are doing? Using your only defender to your pathetic rescue? Then I must say Malfoy you are the biggest fool, while I used to think you were smart. You should know well that no matter where you hide the ministry will find you and the stunt that you have pulled by kidnapping me, this time there won't be any reduction in your punishment. You are nothing but an evil, loathsome, foul…."

But before Hermione could continue with her banter which doesn't seem to be ending soon, she felt a hand clasped over her mouth. Malfoy's action not only silenced her but the brunette instead of struggling went quite still as she hadn't expected that he would suddenly come in such a close proximity with her. Inspite of whatever was going on she couldn't help but admire her captor. His perfect beach blonde hair, those gorgeous eyes like the molten pool of silver, and that flawless skin…..

"Listen Granger," Malfoy spoke, his voice bringing Hermione out of her reverie.

"I used you to escape from the court, and now that I am out I need you no more so you are free to go wherever you want. I am not going to stop you. So stop bothering me and get lost." He finished and then as soon as he removed his hand from Hermione's mouth,

"What?" she yelled.

"You are asking me to leave? Well, even I would be so glad to get rid of your annoying presence as soon as possible but pray tell how am I supposed to do that? I mean I don't have my wand and this ridiculous place where you have brought me, I don't know this place at all." The brunette said casting a worried glance outside through the half broken windows.

"Apparition is something Granger. And you are a witch." Malfoy said casually. But his eyes got widened up when the only response to his suggestion was Hermione's cheeks turning red.

"Don't you tell me Granger that you still don't know how to apparate?"

The brunette flushed even more at his question.

Malfoy couldn't help and broke out into a fit of laughter,

"Oh c'mon Granger; and everyone believed you were the brightest witch of your year." He voiced out between hysterics.

"Yeah very funny Malfoy. Now just shut up and tell me how I am going to go back?" Hermione asked, her eyes twitching.

"That's not my problem it's yours." Malfoy replied.

"My problem! My problem Malfoy!" Hermione yelled. She began moving towards him and poked her fingers into his torso as she continued, "Don't you dare say that because you are the one who have got me into this trouble and so you would be the one taking me out of this." By the time Hermione finished she had driven Malfoy to shrink into the wall while she herself stood high infront of him.

Of-course Malfoy didn't like it. How could he fall weak to a girl? So he quickly regained his composure and now it was Hermione's turn to back out as the slytherin began advancing towards her.

"Look Granger I think I have already made it clear to you that I only needed you to escape from the court and now you are useless. I no more care where you go and how. So it's better you leave before I hex you mudblood." This time Hermione was pressed into the wall with Malfoy towering over her, his last word bringing unshed tears to her eyes. She had thought that If Malfoy could have fought for the good side then he could have moved on from the mudblood- pureblood prejudice, but no. She was still a mudblood for him. And still this particular word which damned her very existence broke her heart the same way it did everytime Malfoy said it. She wasn't going to argue anymore. Without casting another glance at Malfoy she stepped aside from him and headed for the stairs, thus not noticing the guilt simmering in his eyes. He could hear her descending down the steps and finally the click of the door. And then it was all quite. She was gone.

The tapping of her shoes against the rough ground seemed to be the only sound breaking the dead silence of the chilling dark night yet she had a queer feeling that she was being followed, that there was someone else except her on those spooky gloomy looking streets along which she was trailing. Every now and then Hermione would turn around and cross check whether her doubts were correct but when all she found was herself as the only single living soul standing at the completely abandoned street, her heavy breaths blowing strands of her hairs over her face, she would dismiss her premonitions as a effect of the creepy surroundings on her brain and continue to walk again.

Since she had stepped out of the old house she was determined to find some help. But the more she explored the more she got disappointed as all she could find was pitch dark surrounding her. No shops, no houses, except a very few but they too looked haunted and so abandoned like they hadn't seen good days since eternity. Finally she came across a wide clear area, due to the dark it took her time to figure out that it was actually a park, she squinted her eyes and observed that the swings were broken and made a screeching unpleasant sound as the cold wind made them dangle to and fro. She went and sat on a corroded, very old looking bench. She began massaging her foot as she had been walking for long.

"What place is this? Does anyone live here? I thought I had get some help from the inhabitants but now what? Oh this is so ridiculous!" she let out in frustration.

"And that Malfoy, I hate him so much. It's his entire fault. I defended him and this is what I get at his hands. What does he think of himself? And I don't know what he is upto anyway? I can't believe he actually thinks that he could escape the ministry? Fool. But I am a bigger fool than him to leave that house; no matter how much it would have infuriated the both of us I should have thought logically and stayed with him so that when the ministry would have found him I would have got saved too. But no, I had to get angry and emotional and leave the house recklessly. Now I have come so far I don't even know the way back." Hermione almost sobbed out the last word.

Suddenly she sensed some motion among the bushes that lined the park. The brunette instantly stood up and became alert. She started backing out as the motion increased and then three tall figures came out from the bushes. Deatheaters. Hermione's heart almost stopped. Even in the dark she could recognize their ugly torn faces. They were Fenirir Black, Greyback and Scabbier. These were those deatheaters who were among the most wanted list of the ministry.

"Oh looki looki what we have here? Harry potter's mudblood." Greyback hissed in an interested voice.

"What are you doing here Miss Granger? We never expected you at a place like this. And where are your two boy- friends? Black jeered at her.

"And where's your wand?" Scabbier asked realizing she didn't have any.

Hermione gulped hard, she surely was going to die.

To Be Continued...


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Her Savior.**

Hermione gulped hard, she surely was going to die but she won't show her fear.

"Seems you had a really bad day. Now let us make it interesting for you, so tell us how you would like to die?" asked Scabbier.

When Hermione remained quite with no emotion whatsoever over her face, Greyback spoke,

"You don't seem in the mood of playing around. Well let us guess ourselves then, I think killing you straight with killing curse won't be fun so how about torturing you badly first?"

"Good idea Grey, she deserves a horrible death as she had played a big part along with that Potter in killing our lord." Fenirir said.

They raised their wands at the brunette, who still stood stone faced ready to face her wrath. Running was no option as it was very easy for the deatheaters to hex her if she made any move. She waited for the curses to hit her but it never came as the deatheaters got startled by the voice which Hermione recognized so well, the voice of Draco Malfoy.

He just emerged from nowhere and took the brunette's side,

"Fenirir, Greyback, Scabbier, I wonder what bad I have done to this world so as to deserve seeing your ugly faces again. Back off at once." Malfoy said in a calm but equally threatening voice.

"Young M-Malfoy?" Scabbier stammered out while the other two gawked.

"Yes, surprised?" Malfoy asked in a mocking tone.

"Traitor! You defied the dark lord. You changed sides. And now you are defending a pathetic mudblood!" Greyback yelled.

"You will pay for that." Fenirir yelled and the very next moment he threw an unforgivable curse at Malfoy but the latter blocked it so easily as if it was a child's play for him and then,

"Curico!" he yelled, his curse hitting Fenirir hard who began wailing in pain. The other two deatheaters looked horrified and started backing out without even giving it a try to fight the blonde.

"You will regret this Malfoy, you will regret this." they both repeated as they got vanished somewhere in the dark. Fenirir fled away as well, as soon as the curse ended over him.

Malfoy lowered his wand seeing the danger now gone. He turned to Hermione to say something but got speechless when he felt a mass of bushy brown curls pressed hard against his shoulder and two hands which were holding onto him tightly.

Malfoy hadn't been in such a situation before. He never knew how to deal with girls and that too when they were crying. Though somehow he managed to be polite as he patted her head lightly and assured her that it was all over and she was safe then. Hermione stifled few more sobs; she had been so frightened and so close to death, she needed to hold onto someone even if Malfoy to calm herself down.

To Be Continued...


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Apologies.**

She needed to hold onto someone even if Malfoy to calm herself down.

"I know I am very irresistible Granger but will you move now?" his words seemed to have brought Hermione completely to her senses as she jumped away from him as if hit by some spark.

She was blushing and then she slapped Malfoy hard across his face.

"What was that for Granger! Have you lost it? One moment you are clinging to me and the next moment you are slapping me? You should be thankful I saved you." Malfoy yelled.

"Well, you are the one because of whom I have to face all this at the first place!" Hermione shouted back.

Malfoy and Hermione kept staring at each other for a good five minutes, both fuming with anger. Though they both were relieved that they were back to normal. The brunette hugging Malfoy and he soothing her had seemed so bizarre and surreal, but now that they once again just as they were meant to be were at each other's throat all seemed turned back to natural and real.

Hermione expected the argument to increase further but then she was surprised when Malfoy lowered his gaze,

"Granger, I know you are mad at me for calling you that M- word earlier but it was a slip of the tongue. I was angry and it just came out. I wasn't even thinking about it. And the word really means nothing to me now, I no more believe in those ridiculous prejudices of blood. I know better than that. I am sorry." He finished.

Hermione just gawked at him, she had never dreamt of hearing the three words used for apologizing to someone from the mouth of, the Draco Malfoy.

Draco continued,

"When you were gone I thought that I shouldn't have being rude to you because all you tried was just to help me. But you know Granger, all that I had done through all the years that we spent at Hogwarts was being horrible to you so I just am so habitual to behaving rude to you that I couldn't bring myself to being all polite around you at the very first go. But now I accept whatever trouble you are in it's because of me and so I'll help you get out of it. I can apparate you to wherever you want and then I'll leave. And please stop gawking at me."

So Hermione did close her mouth and composed herself at his last comment. She was taken aback by Malfoy's civil behavior but how he was being sorry for all his earlier actions she felt glad at the same time that she hadn't been wrong about him after all. He did have good in him and was not a hollow hearted spawn of evil.

"It's alright Malfoy. But I still have my doubts. Why are you doing all this? I mean running from the ministry and all? As I have been telling you it's useless. They will catch you sooner or later." Hermione said.

"Granger, running away from the ministry or from my punishment isn't my motive after all." Malfoy said.

"Then why did you run away?" she asked.

"Because." Malfoy paused at this and looked at Hermione.

"You really want to know Granger?" he asked.

To Be Continued…..


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5-A View Into The Past.**

"You really want to know Granger?" he asked and when the brunette gave a sharp nod, he took out a small book from his pocket. Placing it on the ground he casted some spell over it and it increased in size.

"That's a portable pensive. Where did you get that? Hermione asked.

"My granny gave it to me on my very first birthday." Draco had an actual smile unlike his usual smirks over his face when he told Hermione this, and she had to admit he looked so adorable, so innocent at the moment.

"So Granger, ready?" he asked extending his hand to the brunette.

Hermione looked hesitant at first. Why she was getting involved in all this drivel when she could simply take Malfoy's earlier offer and could get apparated back to the safety of her people, she thought. But then again she couldn't deny the fact that her curiosity was getting the best of her and she wanted to know what had made Malfoy run from his dark destiny if not the motive of escaping it. So she had made the decision and no sooner had she placed her hand into Malfoy's, the blonde made a dive into the pensive with her being dragged along.

They both felt dizzy and their surroundings just whirled around until they finally felt their feet touching the ground. Hermione had never been to a pensive before and she realized entering it was much like experiencing apparition.

"Where are we?" she blurted out as she took in her surroundings. She realized that it was daytime and they both were standing in front of a park which she didn't knew why looked quite familiar to her. When she observed more carefully her eyes widened in shock, because it dawned upon her that it was the same park from earlier where she had the encounter with the deatheaters. But now it was so different, the swings were in their best condition. The park that had seemed so dead before now seemed to have jerked back to life by the beautiful flowers and the crowd of people surging through it. Innocent giggles and laughs of the young ones filled it, who played on the swings. Hermione knew what was happening; Malfoy's memory had brought both of them to the past.

"So this is how it looked once. It seems you have a close connection to this place, Malfoy?" asked Hermione,

"Hush, just wait and watch. You will know." he said.

So the brunette kept quite after that. She just took to observing as how emotional and pensive Malfoy looked. His eyes glimmered as he kept them intact at the spectacle in front of him. The mere sight seemed to have brought a train of memorable events to his mind.

Few minutes passed and Hermione found her growing impatient by the seconds as nothing happened.

"Malfoy, don't tell me that you brought me here just to show how this park and town was once in the past. Say something, what it's exactly that you wanted to show me?" she asked.

But instead of answering Hermione, Malfoy suddenly blurted out,

"Look," he pointed and when Hermione did look in the direction of his finger she found that she was looking at a five year old blonde boy with grey eyes, the brunette knew who it was, Malfoy, a very young Malfoy.

She saw him move to a swing occupied by a girl of his own age. Hermione couldn't tell what exactly he was saying to the girl but from the look of it she could figure out that he was asking the girl to get off the swing so that he could play on it. But when the girl refused they both got into a heated argument and the memory Malfoy pushed the girl down who began crying.

"You were always the same Malfoy, a jerk. Look you made the poor child cry." Said Hermione but when Malfoy didn't say anything she again continued watching his memory.

She saw how guilt got etched over the memory Malfoy's face seeing the crying girl. He said something to her and the girl became quite, next she took her place back on the swing and the young Malfoy began giving slight pushes to it and the girl laughed joyfully.

Hermione watched amusedly as the memory Malfoy and the girl soon seemed to have become good friends. They had exchanged positions and now it was the girl who was pushing the swing while Malfoy laughed as he got carried into the air with the swing. His hair making flips in the wind. Hermione smiled sweetly at the young boy. He was just the cutest thing in the world.

"This is how I met and got acquainted with Liza. My best friend." Malfoy said.

Hermione almost got startled at the sound of his voice as she had been so lost in the scene and Malfoy had been so quite since beginning she wasn't expecting him to say something.

The brunette noticed that the park scene began to change. Now she and Malfoy were at a different place, a house. Hermione recognized it was the past version of the same house where Malfoy had apparated them earlier. She noticed it looked quite nice then and not anything like the old and abandoned house it had now become in the present. Malfoy moved inside the house and Hermione followed. He stopped in a room which looked like a kid's play room. Hermione heard some laughter and soon the door to the room opened and in entered Liza and the young Malfoy. They were chatting animatedly and looked so happy together.

Liza went and sat at the nearby bed whereas the memory Malfoy took his seat beside her. She extended her little pinky to him and as if knowing what she was doing the memory Malfoy interlinked his pinky with her. Then they both shouted together,

"Best friends for life!" after that they both broke out in a mad fit of laughter.

Hermione was liking this more and more. She practically felt herself falling in love with the two adorable chicks. She wanted to go and hug them but she knew she won't be able to as it was just a memory of Malfoy and nothing real. She casted a glance at Malfoy who too was looking at the two kids fondly. Hermione was about to say something but Malfoy beat her to it. As if the scene playing in front of them was a story and Malfoy it's narrator he began saying,

"Our friendship was so strong like no one else ever had but then one day," he paused and the scene changed again.

It was still the same room but now there was no young Malfoy but Liza alone. She was sitting on her bed and sobbing. Suddenly the door to her room opened and the young Malfoy came in.

"Liza what's the matter? Why are you crying?" he asked worriedly.

"Go away Draco! I don't want to see you anymore!" she yelled at him.

"What? What are you talking about? Why? What have I done?" the young Malfoy asked frantically.

"I said go away. I don't want to see you." Liza yelled again and threw a vase at him.

Hermione too yelled and made a dash towards the young Malfoy, she had almost forgotten that it was only a memory and even if she tried she couldn't protect the young boy from the attack. Fortunately the young Draco dodged the vase and was unharmed. Hermione took a sigh of relief.

"Easy Granger. Don't get so involved." Malfoy said with a smug look on his face. He found it amusing as to how Hermione had acted so protectively towards his younger self.

The brunette blushed and returned to her position as just a spectator. She wondered where this all was going. She still couldn't make out why Malfoy was showing her all this, the memories of his and his childhood best friend. But she kept quiet and didn't ask anything knowing she will know the answers finally and so had decided to be patient.

She watched as the younger Draco became angry with Liza's deviant behavior.

"Why are you being like this? What have I done Liza? We promised to best friends, have you forgotten?" he yelled out but when the only reaction that he got from his friend was her ignoring him completely he couldn't take it anymore. He left the room at once. Then the scene changed again.

Hermione and Draco were at the Malfoy Manor now. The young Draco was sitting in Lucious Malfoy's lap. Crystal like drops of tears fell from his eyes as he spoke,

"Father she said she doesn't want to see me. But, but I haven't done anything wrong to her, father. I swear." The young Draco whined.

"I know son. You haven't done anything. But I had warned you about this. That girl must have come to know that you are a wizard and that's why she is jealous because she is not a witch but a normal muggle, a mudblood infact. They all are the same Draco, jealous and rude to our kinds." Said Lucious.

The young one eyed his father with dove like innocent eyes filled with tears.

"Now now, stop crying. You are a very strong boy and most importantly, Malfoy's never ever cry." Lucious soothed as he wiped Draco's tears. The young child embedded his face into his father's shoulder and repeated,

"I hate her father, I hate her. I am never going to meet her again!"

"That's my good boy." Lucious said as he patted his son's hair.

The scene shifted again. This time it was a dark room again in the manor. But now there was no young Malfoy but an older Malfoy, the sixth year Malfoy. Hermione guessed.

He was sitting on a large chair massaging his head. Suddenly he stood up and moved towards what looked like a pensive.

"That's my father's pensive. I had dived into it just aimlessly as I had no other work to do. And then I found something I hadn't expected. It changed me and my entire life." Malfoy(the real Malfoy and not the memory one) said.

Now Malfoy and Hermione could see what the memory Malfoy was seeing so basically they were witnessing Lucious' memories.

They once again were in Liza's house. They were standing in the living room and the scene in front of the brunette's eyes was horrific. Lucious was standing over a man with his wand pointing at his dead body. Hermione's hand flung to her mouth in shock as she understood what had happened. Lucious had killed the man. She saw a woman and Liza sobbing nearby the lifeless body.

"You see mudblood what you get for fraternizing with someone with a blood status as high as us Malfoys. Now if you don't want your mother and you yourself to suffer a death like your beloved father then never again try to be friendly with my son. And don't you dare tell him what had happened, Understand?" Lucious said as he lifted Liza's chin with the tip of his wand. Liza nodded at him furiously.

"Good." Said Lucious as he withdrew his wand and exited the scene leaving Liza and her mother to their own misery.

Hermione watched all this with tearful eyes.

"So that's why she never wanted to see you again?" Hermione asked Draco though knowing the answer already.

After this Hermione and Malfoy came out of the pensive. The night greeted them as they once again were back to the real world.

To Be Continued...


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: Malfoy's Regret.**

After this Hermione and Malfoy came out of the pensive. The night greeted them as they once again were back to the real world.

Finding Hermione still recovering from whatever she had seen and not in the mood of talking yet Malfoy took the initiative to break the silence,

"This was it Granger. Since birth I never believed my father and his ways of violence. I was a fun loving normal kid. But my father never appreciated it. He wanted to make me evil. When he came to know that I had befriended a muggle named Liza he was very disappointed. He kept telling me this theory that she was of low blood status, a muggle and she would leave me out of jealously and hatred once she came to know of me being a wizard. But again I had more faith in my and Liza's friendship than any of my father's words. But then that day when Liza asked me to leave and didn't gave any proper reason as to why she wanted so, I felt my father had always been right and I was a fool not to believe him. I was so attached to Liza and her betrayal towards me which I considered it then was such a setback to me. I was completely broken and the incident became a twist in my life. I began to hate muggles and though I didn't like it at first I began to follow my father blindly. No matter what he asked me I forced myself into it. Soon I found myself turned into a bad and spoiled rich kid. I began liking doing bad to others. As time passed I became more notorious."

At this Malfoy paused and observed Hermione who still looked oblivious to everything around her, yet somehow Draco could feel that she was listening and so he continued,

"But I could never become like my father, no matter how hard I tried I couldn't bring myself to torture someone to an extent that can be called as harmful. In my sixth year I was given the task to kill Dumbledore and I decided to prove my worth to my father by performing the task successfully. But again I failed. I couldn't get the heart to kill the headmaster. And then Snape did it. I despised myself and felt myself as a disdain to my family's name. After the end of sixth year I spent my holidays locking myself in the dark rooms of the manor and cursing myself for feeling sorry for the headmaster. First I couldn't kill him and now that the task was done by someone else I could not get myself to not regret as what had happened to Dumbledore. I hated myself for not being evil, for not being what my father wanted me to be. I began visiting his memories through his pensive. I thought that may be if I spent much time seeing the murders and bad deeds he had done through all his life then probably I too would get tempted to such things. I didn't tell father of my going into his pensive because I wanted to give him surprise by showing sudden changes in my personality. But again it never happened. All I felt while spending time in his pensive was pure torture. I couldn't even bring myself to keep my eyes open when I witnessed the memory of him killing brutally some innocent person. The images haunted me at night. But I kept trying to bring myself to like all that. And then as you saw, one day I accidently went into the memory where he had killed Liza's father to get her away from me. I was doomed. I realized why Liza had refrained from me. I realized the truth. It was my father who had been wrong and not Liza. I was broken once again, the person in whom I had so much faith in, my own father for whom I had killed my real self, for whom I had condemned wrong whatever I once believed to be right, for whom I spent half of life trying to become what I didn't even liked, had been the one who betrayed me. And so I decided then that I would no longer be Lucious' puppet. As I took control of my mind in my own hands and freed it from my father's grasp I began to realize how fake and wrong his principles were. Totally Logicless. I then decided to become what I wanted and to make for the mistakes I had done in the past. That's why I became a double agent for the order and fought for the good side eventually. I am a changed person now but I accept that once I had done some bad deeds though not very serious but as the judge said they were bad deeds nonetheless. And I am ready to suffer the punishment but before going to Azkaban I want to meet Liza. That place induces madness and so I can't be sure in what state I would be when after three years I would be realized from there. That's why I fled from the court as they won't allow permission to meet anyone but put me straight to prison. Since our last meeting when I was five year old I had never seen her again. Once the truth got revealed to me from father's pensive I had come here but found the house abandoned. I have been searching for her since then. And so this is the purpose I want to accomplish before going to Azkaban. It doesn't matter to me if they put me there for entire life but before that I want to see Liza. I feel so guilty. I feel like I was responsible for her father's death. Neither I would have befriended her nor would she have to face such wrath. I want to apologize to her." A single tear slid down his eyes as Malfoy finished.

 **To Be Continued….**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter-7: Bad news.

 **Hermione's Pov:**

I turned to my side and fell off the sofa. Wait, Sofa? Why wasn't I on my bed? And why didn't I feel hurt when I fell? Instead I could feel something soft quivering under me and it was continuously emitting an oomph kind of sound. The voice seemed quite familiar, like that of Malfoy….

Malfoy! Oh right! How could I forget? I had agreed to help him find Liza. We were now in the girl's abandoned house. Last night while I had taken the sofa, Malfoy had taken the floor. Which means that the soft thing under me….

"Oomph! What's happening? Some ogre has fallen over me! Save me Merlin!" Malfoy yelled from beneath me.

"Oh shut up Malfoy! Stop being so overdramatic." I said as I pulled myself up from over him.

"Granger! Seriously? What do you eat? Stones?" he frowned.

"Well no comments about what I eat, because as far as I can remember I haven't eaten anything since I have been kidnapped by an egotistical moronic ferret and now I am starved." I retorted.

"Well don't forget that inspite of the warning given to you by the egotistical moronic ferret it was you who had insisted to help in order to show off your stupid Gryfindor kindness. I had told you that I won't be responsible if later you find any kind of trouble with this task." Malfoy said as he got up from the floor and dusted off the dirt from his black suit.

"First, it's you who is a certified show off not me. I am here because I genuinely want to help you. And second, yes it was me who insisted to stay but that doesn't mean you are going to starve me to death." I said with a humph.

"You know what Granger? You girls are so weak that you can't endure a bit of hardship. That's why I didn't want to bring you along. I knew it already that you would be more of a trouble than any help. Just look at me, even I haven't eaten since long yet I am not complaining and am fine." Said Malfoy.

"I see Malfoy that it's true you have moved on from the blood status prejudice but how long will it take you for stop being such a chauvinist?" I asked sarcastically and was about to come up with some more witty retorts. Of-course I couldn't let Malfoy escape easily after he had stated so casually that girls were weak, but instead only giggles left my mouth when his stomach contradicted his own words by giving a huge growl. His face got completely flushed which only made me laugh harder.

"So Malfoy you were saying something about being fine even after not having to eat since long?" I mocked,

"Yeah right, Miss Beaver caught me off guard. Many many congratulations for that." He said with a roll of eyes.

I was about to retort at him for calling me a beaver but when the very next instant his face turned pensive and solemn my jolly demeanor faded as I was reminded that we had much more important matters at hand rather than taunting and mocking each other.

"So Draco why did you brought us here? Last night when I was outside and from what I noticed I don't think we can get any help here, I mean there are no people here or to say properly no society at all. So what's the plan? I asked.

"The plan Granger?"

"Yeah, don't tell me you don't have any." I said arching an eyebrow at him.

"You know what; I had once come to this place few months ago to search for her. At that time it wasn't so abandoned and still a little society existed. When I found Liza's house uninhabited I enquired the people about it. Some just didn't had any idea, some told that she had left this place many years ago and provided me with the names of the places they thought the Hederson family had moved to. I did go to those places but unfortunately found no traces of her. Also there were some people here whom I couldn't get time to inquire about Liza as then I had been a double agent and was stuck with my priorities for the order. So basically my plan was to come back here some time later and ask those few left people about Liza. I had a thought that maybe they could provide some valuable information about her whereabouts. But see when finally I did come here there's no one here. So whom am I going to ask now, guess my plan got spoiled. I am sure those deatheaters from last night have made this place their hiding ground from the ministry and they are the one responsible for its present condition. They would have killed all the people here." Malfoy paused at this for a moment and then continued,

"Though the terror of Voldemort has ended I don't know how much time it would take to put an end to the terror of his followers." He said realizing a deep disappointed sigh.

"Draco, so what if this plan got spoiled there always a way out. Was it ever so when you both were friends that Liza had mentioned to you about any of her relatives and their living place? I suggest we could try searching for them and that would lead us to her." I said taking a seat beside Malfoy on the floor.

His eyes did get lighted up at my proposal but soon drooped down again.

"Granger your idea does sound good but I don't think Liza ever mentioned to me anything of that sort. We were kids then and all we did was playing and talking childish nonsense. We never discussed our family relations. The only people I knew from her family was her mother and father."

I too began to feel hopeless as he said this. What were we to do now? We needed to have some place to start with as we couldn't just go around the world searching for her.

As we both sat there at the floor of the deserted house absorbed in figuring out a solution to our problem I suddenly got startled by some loud flattering sounds.

I quickly turned to Draco and blurted,

"Did you hear that?"

Though I didn't need an ans to it as his shocked and panicked expression already reflected that he did.

Without saying a word he ran towards the broken window and keeping himself hidden against the wall he peeped out from it.

I had a very bad feeling that whatever was outside causing those sounds was an indication of the trouble which was soon coming our way.

And guess what; I was right.

"Granger they are here, the ministry is here. We need to flee!" Malfoy said in a panicky low voice as he came rushing towards me.

"What!" I yelled out, instantly covering my mouth when Malfoy gave me a murderous look because ofcourse we needed to be as less noisy as possible considering the ministry people were around searching for him.

I muttered a sorry before asking Malfoy as what was to be done now.

"Let me think, let me think." Malfoy repeated pacing around the room worriedly.

Suddenly we heard a crash over the roof of the house. Half of it broke down reveling a huge dragon's leg that came swinging down just very close to my eyes. I was horrified beyond my wit and just as some reflex action I screamed like a lunatic and ran to Malfoy's side shoving me into him.

He protectively wrapped his arms around me which I obviously hadn't been expecting on his part. I popped my head up from his embrace and turned to find that our intruder was sitting graciously over the remaining part of the roof. The minister of magic himself was sitting on its back with a surprised expression on his face which soon melted into a smile of triumph. Now this actually was some bad news.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: Life's strange like that.**

The minister of magic himself was sitting on its back with a surprised expression on his face which soon melted into a smile of triumph. Now this actually was some bad news.

"Hey everyone! I found them. Come here, they are here." He shouted and very soon many wizarding authorities came flying on dragons and surrounded us.

"Mister Malfoy we ask you to hand over Miss Granger to us or else if we have to get her from you forcefully then you will have to face dire consequences. There's no point in using her and escaping because you should know that no matter where you flee we will find you. So it's better that you surrender." Kingsley, the assistant of the minister said.

"Draco we need to apparate now." I whispered emphasizing on the word now.

"Leave all logics concerning as where to go and just apparate us anywhere because now escaping from these people is the priority. Do it Malfoy before they hurt you."

"They won't Granger. If they were capable of attacking me until I have you in my proximity they could have done it in the court room itself and could have saved you. Thus all they are trying to do is to trick me into surrendering; I know well they won't inflict any harm over me as they are afraid it can hurt you as well."

I was about to retort to Malfoy about why did it even mattered at the moment as to whether they were going to hurt him or not. One thing was clear that we needed to get away because obvious he couldn't be planning on staying and fighting all the these people on his own. Right?

But before I could say anything to him a stranger's voice in my head interrupted me.

"Miss Granger can you hear me? I am here to help you, just look to your left."

When I did so I found a young man standing there, he seemed one of the wizarding authorities though I couldn't make out who in particular.

With his finger he made a gesture for me to keep quiet and began taking slow steps in my and Malfoy's direction.

I wondered where this man had popped out from. I never noticed him sneaking in.

"Miss Granger I think you must have figured out the plan by now. As you can see the others are trying to distract Malfoy and meanwhile I will slip you out of his grasp so you have to cooperate and soon you would be back to safety."

My heart panicked at the stranger's disclose.

He didn't know that now I was on Draco's side by my own will.

"Draco, have you gone nuts? Why don't you just apparate us somewhere? This place isn't serving you the purpose you had come here for so why are you so persistent on staying here?" I said.

"We need to go, the ministry is trying to distract you and taking advantage of the situation a man here behind you is trying to get me out your grasp." I told him.

As I took care to keep my voice only to Malfoy the man couldn't hear me but since he had developed a connection with my mind he could read my thoughts. And as my spoken words were nothing but set of instructions in my brain that I voiced out he came to know as to what I was saying to Draco.

"Miss Granger, why have you revealed him our ploy? Have you lost it? This was our only hope to save you."The man said from behind Malfoy.

He no more was bothered to keep his talking to my head as Draco knew everything now so what was the point.

The ministry people looked quite confused with the happenings below because being so high up on the dragons' back probably they couldn't hear us and thus couldn't get a proper idea as to what was going on.

"Draco please please. I can't understand what you are waiting for. Just apparate us please and be fast." I pleaded to Malfoy ignoring everything else.

This time Malfoy looked at me and I felt like after so many of my earlier protests he actually seemed to have listened to this one. He kept eyeing me for a moment with a far of look in his eyes and then smiled at me sadistically. Now what was that for?

"What?" I asked incredulously already getting a sense that whatever was going on in his mind I wasn't going to like it.

And Merlin was I right.

Draco brought his lips to my ear and my breath got caught in my throat. His being close to me always gave me feeling of such uneasiness that I started feeling numb.

"Granger you see I don't want you to get in any trouble. On your protests I had decided to take you with me but now that ministry has come to take you I think its best that you return. Don't get yourself involved in this mess Hermione, its better that you stay out of it and thanks for all the help that you had given me." With that said he pushed me towards the man and started to apparate.

I wasn't at all excepting this from him and thus was so taken aback that it took me a while to react.

"Draco no! you can't do this to me!" I shouted out.

"I am so sorry Granger but I think this is the best for you. Good bye and take care." Said Malfoy.

"Hey what the hell is happening here?" the man shouted from behind me.

"He is running! Peter you jerk, do something. He doesn't have Miss Granger with him anymore so we can attack him now!" the minister of magic shouted as he pointed his wand at Draco and others followed. With peter I figured he was referring to the man that had come to save me. He too was now pointing his wand at Draco.

 _This couldn't end like this_

I repeated to myself and with a firm decision in my mind I jumped into the vanishing apparition cloud of Draco Malfoy. Before I lost sight of everything infront of me the last thing I saw were the authorities lowering their wand with confusion written in their eyes.

Then the other moment there was all swirling and finally my feet touched the ground. I collapsed but Draco caught me before I could land flat on the bare ground.

"Granger! Why did you it? I finally had you in the right hands and you just had to ruin all that!" he yelled tightening his grip on my shoulders.

"Oh just shut up Draco! I thought we were in this together. I told you that I don't care about the hardships and that I genuinely want to help you. Why don't you understand!" I shouted out shoving his hands away from me.

"Why the hell do you care so much!" he demanded.

"Because after knowing your true self and your miseries I don't have the heart to leave you alone. I know you are a very strong person Malfoy, physically and mentally. I know that you can deal with it all on your own but guess what? The dealing with the hardships just becomes easier when you have a friend with you to share them. And I want to be that friend for you." I said, my voice almost becoming a whisper and it shook when I finished my last sentence. Unshed tears filled my eyes and I could no more look straight at Malfoy and so I turned my gaze to the ground.

Suddenly prolonged uncomfortable silence seemed to have spread all around me; only Malfoy's steps could be heard approaching me.

He came to me and took my hands into his which eventually made me to look at him.

"Granger I am sorry. I couldn't understand it earlier but I think I do now. After what you did I think I have realized the intensity of your desire to help me and if you are so much into it then I won't try anymore to pry you out of this quest." He said looking straight into my eyes and I knew then that he meant it. And so I did it again which I had been doing so frequently, I hugged him.

And again Malfoy surprised me by not protesting but simply hugging me back. I relaxed into his embrace. Who would believe that it took just a day for two sworn enemies to come to hugging each other as if they had been best friends since years. I chuckled, life's strange like that.

 **A/N:Hey guys so sorry took so long to update…had got stuck with school work.**

 **TBC…**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Friends?

Hermione's Pov:

Who would believe that it took just a day for two sworn enemies to come to hugging each other as if they had been best friends since years. I chuckled, life's strange like that.

But the moment didn't last for long as Malfoy cleared his throat and we pulled apart. And wait, was he blushing?

I felt a rush of heartbeat and the atmosphere around seemed to have grown a bit tensed; the both of us seemed to be at a loss of words for sometime when Malfoy spoke up,

"Granger I want to tell you something."

Now my heart was beating even faster.

I just gave him a nod to continue,

"Granger I want to say that, well…"

I was hanging on every word he uttered; now I myself didn't know why I was so desperate and curious. I mean what I was expecting him to say anyway? Or was I even excepting something from him at all, then what and why? Merlin I really couldn't understand myself sometimes.

"It's just that your bushy hairs are such nonsense. Every now and then you are jumping over me getting them into my face. So I humbly request you to keep yourself in control and hug me less so as to save me the torture. They even look so dirty I am afraid I might get infected." Malfoy finished scrunching up his nose in disgust.

That jerk! This is what he wanted to say? And I was thinking, well leave it what I was thinking. Now the matter was how could that infuriating ferret go around insulting me like that and then act as if he has stated the most serious and true fact ever. I must have known that it didn't matter if he always had a good heart as he would never stop being the snobbish pompous and mean person that he was.

To say I was beyond humiliated was such an understatement. I was shocked as to how dare he speak so scornfully about my hair, also he said that I was always jumping over him but he should know that it was just because I was an emotional and kind person who got overwhelmed by the situations easily which made me act like that and so it wasn't like I was dying to hug him or something. Ofcourse.

I was so furious that without the exchange of a single word I almost lunged towards Malfoy to give him his pay but he dodged my fist.

"In the mood of fighting are we, huh?" he said with a smirk.

I again made a move at him and this time he actually started running and I followed.

"C,mon Granger, am I so fast?" he jeered at me.

Now what was this idiot playing at? I thought as I ran after him at full pace.

Though soon after we both stood panting. Malfoy was not much away from me but I didn't made attempts to get hold him as I knew he would start running again and I was too tired to chase him anymore.

Suddenly he broke out in a fit of laughter,

"Granger seriously? It's so easy to get to your nerves. Don't you understand? I was only playing around with you." He said.

So this was it? I should have known he had been joking all along because my hair though a bit unruly weren't as bad as he had stated them to be. Though a minute ago I had so badly wanted to deprive him off his blonde locks but now a smile broke out on my lips thinking that it had only been a day since he had ran from the magical court of justice, a few minutes since he had escaped from the hands of ministry and now had the task of finding his best friend about whom he had no clue as to where she could be and yet here he was laughing and doing things as silly as teasing and running away from me like a three year old. Instantly I was feeling glad for being the reason to make him laugh even in his hard time.

So my anger forgotten all I did was roll my eyes at his playfulness. Then I asked him,

"Are we in Paris?"

"Yes Miss genius you are right. Welcome to Paris!" he said.

"So any particular reason as to why we are here?" I enquired further.

"No. What reason could it be anyway? I mean I had already told you I have no idea as to where to search for Liza. Then I had needed to escape as soon as possible and so I chose the first place that came to my mind. And it was here in Paris." As he said this, Malfoy's mood seemed to have taken a swing and he now looked pensive and thoughtful.

I was about to convey to him some of the ideas that I had come up with to find Liza when I felt a sudden dizziness which made me stumble from my position. Malfoy quickly came to my side,

"You okay Granger?" he asked,

"Yeah, I think, well may be…" but before I could ans him my stomach beat me to it by giving a growl and I blushed.

And then Malfoy next reaction was that he dragged me along saying he knew some restaurant nearby.

"Seems you know this place well." I said.

"Yes I do because as a kid my parents used to bring me here often for the vacations."

"Oh. Malfoy I think I have come up with some ideas to find your friend. We can search for her online or we can also take help from the agencies who help in finding lost people, though both processes are very tedious and time taking. Not to mention all we have with us is the name Liza, no photograph or anything else so obvious it would be very difficult but atleast we can have something to start with."

"Well it's good that atleast someone here has ideas. But what do you mean by online?" he asked.

"It's a muggle technology that can be used for various purposes, in your case to find people making use of social websites."

"Websites?"

" Draco leave it. When we will work on it you will come to know. Also we would try to use as less magic as possible from now onwards as the ministry could find us tracking your wand signals." I said.

"Yeah right. Though I never had thought that sometime I would stoop so low that I would have to take help of muggle technologies." He said making a face.

And so he got a playful slap at his arm for this attempt of fake high headedness and we both giggled, instantly my heart fluttered thinking,

"Were we becoming more than just partners who were together to get a purpose done? Were we actually becoming friends?"

TBC…


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10:The Foodies!**

And so he got a playful slap at his arm for this attempt of fake high headedness and we both giggled, instantly my heart fluttered thinking,

"Were we becoming more than just partners who were together to get a purpose done? Were we actually becoming friends?"

"Look here we are. The foodies!" suddenly Malfoy yelled out bringing me out of my pondering.

"Foodies? Sounds so childish." I giggled eyeing the huge restaurant in front of me.

"Whats with the name Granger? Now c'mon in." Malfoy said as he dragged me inside and we both went to sit on a table that we found empty at the centre of the restaurant.

"But Draco we don't have any money, remember?" I fretted.

"Don't worry about that, just wait and watch." With that said Malfoy winked at me and went off to the counter where he started conversing with the waitress who would pass me occasional concerned glances.

What was he telling her I wondered. So once when he was back I voiced to him my question.

Malfoy told me that he had lied to the waitress about the both of us being star crossed lovers who have fled away from their families as they were against our love on illogical grounds and that now our parents had employed authorities to search for us so we needed a place to hide till we managed to build a base to support us on our own.

I was gawking at Malfoy as he revealed this to me. I mean how could he!

"Draco Lucious Malfoy! How dare you?" I yelled at him, my eyes blazing with anger.

"What do you mean by how could I? I know my lie is a bit absurd yet it earned us a lot. The lady is ready to give us a place to live in her own house and good food too. All for free." Malfoy said with a smirk, boosting off at his achievement.

"No it's wrong Draco. I am sure if that lady is ready to help us out after listening to your ridiculous fake story she surely would help us even if you tell her the truth that we are just wanderers in search of your childhood best friend and only need a place to stay for the time being we are here in Paris."

"Granger why are you getting so mad? I only told her what I suppose would sound more believable."

"Oh so you think what's actually is the case with us is so impossible a thing that she won't even believe it?"

"Not impossible but rare ofcourse. I think if I would have told her the truth may be she could have suspected us to be some bluff robbers trying to fool her into getting us an entry in her house by making up stories."

"Oh c'mon Malfoy you are just an evilhead. How could you be so sure even without trying? It's almost like betraying her. I am going to tell her the truth and get her help in a fair way."

"Yeah go and spoil my ploy Miss goodie two shoes and get the both of us kicked out." Malfoy said with a huff.

Ignoring him and without any further arguments I got up from my seat to go and get done right what my dear moronic partner had got done so wrongly and yet spoke so high of him. Idiot!

But before I could get to the waitress I found that she herself was approaching towards us, her eyes had grown to the size of large discs and she looked as if in complete bliss. Now what was up with her?

As she came to me she said in a sickly sweet voice.

"Oh isn't this great! You two make such a lovely couple. I was watching you two from the counter and wondering as this boy had told me that it isn't long since you two have fled away and aren't married yet, then too you have started quarreling already! Oh it's so romantic."

She even batted her eyelashes and squealed as she said this.

I was blank and speechless at such a silly and girlish reaction from her. I almost felt like puking and it all was because of Malfoy who now had a smug look on his face and looked like he was trying very hard not to laugh.

So he was enjoying seeing me humiliated and irritated like that. Alright then, once I got this girl to understand that there wasn't anything oh so romantic between me and Malfoy, he was going to face his dooms day at my hands.

But before I could say anything to her the waitress hopped away humming to herself.

TBC….


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Stubborn Malfoy!

But before I could say anything to her the waitress hopped away humming to herself.

I was about to follow after her when I felt a wrist on my hand.

"Leave me Malfoy; I am going to tell her the truth. You can't stop me." I retorted without even looking back at my intruder but when all I received was silence I turned my head to find Malfoy lost and staring at the front side of the newspaper that a man sitting a few seats away from us was reading.

"What?" I asked him.

"Granger you see that…" Malfoy blurted out, his gaze still fixed at the newspaper. Then abruptly he left my hand, stood up and approaching the man snatched away his newspaper.

"Hey! How can you do that kid! That's my newspaper! Give it back." The man shouted at Malfoy.

God! What else trouble this boy was going to get us into? I thought slapping my hand on my eyes irritably.

I rushed towards Malfoy and apologized to the man for his rude behavior.

"I am so sorry sir, my friend here is a bit mad." I said to the man and then whispered to Malfoy,

"Have you gone crazy? What the hell do you think you are doing?"

But Malfoy remained indifferent to the situation and simply pointed to the photograph of a lady under the article which stated that the CEO of informics has come to stay in Hotel 'Le Meurice' of Paris for a week.

"She's the CEO of a very successful computer software producing company, Liza Margretta Hederson." I told Malfoy, meanwhile thinking over as to why he was showing me this. But then sudden realization hit me as to what he could be thinking.

"Draco no, don't tell me that you think it's…"

But even before I could complete my sentence,

"Liza." Draco blurted out.

"Her eyes Granger, I can recognize those eyes anywhere. Its her." he stated with a far off look in his stormy gray eyes.

"But Draco how can you be so sure? I mean you haven't seen her since years; you both had been kids then. Also there could be many girls with the same eyes and name but it doesn't mean they would turn out to be your Liza. And not to mention this is the CEO of Informics we are talking about." I said trying to get some sense in Malfoy's head but the stubborn git didn't seem to listen. Throwing the paper at its earlier bearer he started towards the exit door of the restaurant.

The man now looked so mad with fury that he seemed ready to go to the extent of choking Malfoy's throat out. But again I apologized to him on Malfoy's behalf and he let the matter rest without any further arguments.

As I followed Malfoy out of the restaurant shouting for him to stop I could hear the fading voice of the man who was blabbering something about kids today have no manners whatsoever and the waitress shouting,

"Hey cuties! Where're you two going?"

"Malfoy stop! You actually have gone nuts! Liza hederson is a big authority, do you really think we can simply go and meet her? She would be having a lot of security, we would be thrown out." I tried to explain but when Malfoy turned a deaf ear to all my protests and continued his efforts to ask for a lift in vehicles passing by, I gave up. May be his constant obliviousness towards my sensible advice and the fact that I knew all his efforts were going to result in nothing but cause the both of us a lot of trouble had irritated me to an extent that my own anger seemed to have silenced me. I had finally decided to leave it to Malfoy to realize how wrong he was. Once he was going to face it himself what I had wanted to make him understand then he would get a lesson to listen to me and not being stubborn about things like he was being now.

….….


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12: Here Comes The Aloha Band!

Once he was going to face it himself what I had wanted to make him understand then he would get a lesson to listen to me and not being stubborn about things like he was being now.

After his many attempts a navy colored Scorpio stopped by our side, it was completely packed with a bunch of boys. They all had badges on their shirts that read 'Aloha band'.

My left eye began to twitch. How much more ridiculous it all was going to become?

"Malfoy no way I am going to get into this car, it's already so full!" I yelled.

"Yo sweet girl, do you and your boyfriend need a lift? Then c'mon in we can make space for the two of you." One of the boys said.

"He is not my boyfriend!" I shouted angrily.

"Get inside Granger, in difficult times we should take what we get." Malfoy said in a grim voice and before I could even retort back he had already shoved me like a dump among the idiots in the back seat of the car while he himself got adjusted on the front seat.

As Draco told them that we needed to get to 'Le Meurice', the car started and soon we were headed towards the hotel.

Only few minutes had passed when my back began to hurt like hell because of the congested position I was sitting in.

"Hey sweetie, do you listen to Aloha band? Well you must be as you seem a big fan." The boy sitting next to me said.

Oh. Is that what my red with fury face conveyed to him?

Imbecile!

I kept quiet and didn't give any response in agreement to his statement which resulted in a constant nagging from all of his other companions who would prattle and again and again come back to square one asking me if I had ever listened to their work or not. And so finally they got the ans as I couldn't take it anymore and shouted,

"I haven't ever heard of anything as ludicrous as Aloha Band!"

But as soon as I did this I regretted it nonetheless. Because now the lunatics were head over heels in making me believe that they were versatile geniuses when it came to music and how unfortunate I was to never have the glorious chance of listening to them . To prove their point they even started to give a live performance in the car itself and must I say I only had two words to describe it.

 _PURE TORTURE._

I angrily protested that they were horrible and I didn't want to hear to them but it had no effect on their spirits whatsoever. Instead they seemed all more inspired and continued singing,

 _Oh poor poor bint that you are_

 _To haven't have heard of like us super stars,_

 _We pity you for what an unfortunate soul you are_

 _Oh poor poor bint that you are._

 _When the little eenie winnie cries_

 _Her mother offers her fries,_

 _Telling her about us with pride._

 _Then to our melodies she listens_

 _It makes her laugh,_

 _Her sorrows become half._

 _We who practice day and night_

 _Such is our plight._

 _So dedicated are we to our oeuvre_

 _That weeks pass_

 _And we don't even take a bath._

 _Yet you have the heart_

 _To be so harsh,_

 _Oh poor poor bint that you are….._

I tried to shut my ears with both my hands to block their voices and yet could hear them. Whatever they were singing it was anything but a song? Merlin I was going to go insane!

Then my eyes fell on Malfoy who seemed not a bit perturbed by all the claptrap going on around him.

I noticed how he just kept staring out of the car's window with that far-off look in his eyes; maybe he was so absorbed in the thought of meeting his best friend again that nothing else bothered him anymore.

Suddenly I was jerked out of my observation of the blond as the car came to a halt. I realized that we had reached our destination.

And so as we climbed out of the Scorpio I heaved a sigh of relief that atleast the crazy ride with the Aloha band was finally over.

"We hope you must have enjoyed your time with us. And also we are sure that your wrong opinion of us must have changed after listening to us. We know we are wonderful, aren't we?"

In response Malfoy just gave a nod and muttered thanks to them before starting up the stairs of the hotel, while I quipped,

"Oh yes you guys really are wonderful."

The boys all smiled at me not at all getting that by being wonderful I was remarking the capability of their self assumption of themselves of being so good as such no criticism could let them down.

"We told you. Anyways enjoy your holidays with your husband sweetie. Bye. " They said before driving off.

I stood with my mouth agape at their mention of Malfoy being my husband and even before I could shout that he wasn't my spouse the Scorpio was already out of sight.

The nerve of them! I muttered with a stomp of foot before going after Malfoy who was already inside the reception area of the hotel.

TBC…


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13: All thanks to .

The nerve of them! I muttered with a stomp of foot before going after Malfoy who was already inside the reception area of the hotel.

"Can you please tell the room number where Miss Liza Margretta Hederson is staying?"I heard him asking the receptionist as I came to stand beside him.

"What's your purpose with her sir?" the receptionist asked.

"Well it's just that I wanted to have some urgent talk with her." he replied.

"Sorry sir, but Miss Hederson is on her holidays as you must be knowing and she had strictly mentioned that she wants no disturbance."

"But it's very important." Malfoy insisted.

And even before the receptionist could say something a heavy voice from behind us spoke,

"Who are you anyways? And what so urgent talk you want to have with Miss Liza?"

We both turned to find two huge black men standing face to face with us. I figured out from their formal attire that they must have been Liza's security guards. I noticed that behind them many more guards were standing with curious looks on their faces.

"Sir, it's just that she is my childhood best friend and I need to meet her so as to clear some misunderstandings that had aroused between the two of us." Malfoy said,

Witnessing the shake in his voice I felt all my anger against him almost gone. He wasn't trying any trick on the guards nor did he try to make up any story so that they would let him meet her which was so unMalfoy like. It only showed how sincere and vulnerable he could be when matters came to Liza. Promptly all I wanted to do was go and hold him, soothe him that it will all be fine in the end.

Both the guards let out a low chuckle,

"Is that so? Do you think we are fools? Just like that anyone would pop out and say they are the childhood friend of our CEO Madam and we would believe it? Tell us exactly who you are and your message so we could deliver it to her." one of them said.

"Sir I really am telling the truth. Just tell Liza that it's Draco Malfoy who wants to meet her and you would see that she would recognize me."

"Ok, let's try it then." the guard said as he took out his mobile and dialed some number. He went in a corner to have the conversation and then came back to us.

"She says she doesn't know anyone with the name Draco Malfoy." he told.

"Sir she is lying, she is refusing to recognize me because she is angry with me. Please, please just let me meet her once." Malfoy pleaded desperately.

"I think he is some secret agent who is trying to get to Miss Hederson in order to harm her." one of the guards from the group standing behind us said.

And suddenly the two guards who were standing near the both of us shouted 'arrest him' and launched towards Malfoy taking hold of both his arms.

All the while I had just stood and watched the whole ordeal without saying anything in Malfoy's favor as I could find no point for supporting him on a matter in which I myself hadn't have any faith into. Draco's firm belief that the CEO of Informics was going to turn out to be Liza just because she had the same eyes like her had sounded so absurd to me from the very beginning.

But now seeing the matters getting worse I knew I needed to do something. Though even before I could intervene one of the guards turned to me asking,

"You are with him, aren't you?"

None waited for my reply before my arms too got seized by the guards.

"Now you two would be going for interrogation, come with us." The guards said and then we were being dragged along to wherever they intended to take us.

"Please sir, believe us. We mean no harm to the CEO. If we would have been secret agents or something we would have tried to approach her without anyone knowing about it and wouldn't have been here asking for your permission to meet her. My friend here is mistaking her to be someone else and it's not like I haven't tried it to make him understand that she is not the person he thinks her to be but he won't listen. Though I promise that if you leave us we won't try to meet her or anything and would just go away." I said, and the guards did look like pondering over my words. So probably we had a chance to escape when that stupid Malfoy just had to fuel the gradually extinguishing fire by pulling a very reckless act. He pushed against the guards and ran towards the stairs which led to the various rooms of the hotel shouting for his friend.

"Catch him!" the guards shouted before a bunch of them ran for him.

Now that my words that we both weren't going to try to get to the CEO anymore had been proven wrong by my own partner I knew we had lost the trust of the guards that I had tried to develop if any and thus now there wasn't any chance for us to escape. I knew that when once the guards got hold of Malfoy we sure were going to go straightaway to jail and so that left only one last option which was to force Malfoy into apparating the both of us away from the security.

Already we had the whole magical ministry after us and now even the security guards of a CEO were after our lives that too for no reason. I mean, seriously? She wasn't even the person we had been searching for and already we had got us into so much of trouble. All thanks to Mr. Malfoy.

…..


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14: Chaos at Le Meurice.

The CEO wasn't even the person we had been searching for and already we had got us into so much of trouble. All thanks to Mr. Malfoy.

Thus on impulse I too pushed against the guards and followed Malfoy's cue. Very soon there was a complete chaos with Malfoy practically running all over the hotel shouting the name Liza, I shouting for him to stop and then the guards after the both of us.

Almost all the guests of the hotel had come out of their rooms to watch the madness going on.

And then in the midst of all running and shouting my eyes fell on the girl who stood peeping at us from the 4TH floor lobby. It was the CEO, Liza Margretta Hederson. I noticed that Malfoy too had spotted her the instant I had as now he wasn't running anymore and stood still eyeing the pretty girl. And to my surprise I saw her locking eyes with Malfoy, a strange recognition drew itself in her hazel orbs which she seemed eager to hide but couldn't.

But even before the situation could take over any further turns along the course it was heading the guards reached and caught the both us.

"Bluffers! Now you can't escape." The guard close to me muttered.

They again had started to drag us away telling us indignantly of the dire consequences that we were going to face when a voice interrupted them. It was Liza.

"Guards stop." She said in a stern voice from her position at the fourth floor and then ordered them to leave us.

"But Madam we suspect that these two are up to something fishy that concerns you. Leaving them without any interrogation won't be wise. " one of the guard said but when all that Liza did was stare him down with firm look in her eyes the security took the indication that they had no say in her demand and so they left us.

"Liza I knew you would recognize me." Malfoy said looking at her happily.

"No I am sorry sir, I don't recognize you. You surely are mistaking me to be someone else. From the looks of you people I sense no harm whatsoever from you two and that's why I have asked my guards to leave you both. Though if you will try to get to me even after my making it clear to you that I am not the person you are mistaking me to be then I doubt I would be this kind the next time. So it's better that you leave with your dignity unharmed and don't come back to disturb me again."

"But…" Malfoy started but Liza turned a deaf ear to whatsoever he had to say and went out of our sight.

"You heard her, now leave at once." A guard said and was about to pull at Malfoy's arm but jerking his hand off the latter began to walk away. I followed silently.

…


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15: What the Bloody Hell!**

"You heard her, now leave at once." A guard said and was about to pull at Malfoy's arm but jerking his hand off the latter began to walk away. I followed silently.

Once we were out of the hotel a very unexpected thing happened, usually I had been the one doing it but this time Malfoy suddenly turned and hugged me.

"Granger I know it's her. Please believe me. She is denying it all just because she is angry." He said, and it was startling for me as from his stifled voice I made out that he actually was crying. I never knew that being a boy he was capable of breaking down to this point. And that too not just any boy but Draco Malfoy. Was Liza so special to him?

"Draco I believe you, I know it's her. I said.

At this he pulled away a bit to look into my eyes,

"You do?" he asked.

"Yeah. She did refuse to recognize you but her eyes spoke otherwise. I could read the inevitable emotions in them, emotions that can result only when you have known someone for a short time but very deeply. I could also notice the hidden lie in her voice."

As I said this Malfoy once again wrapped me in a complete hug making my heart flutter.

"And why are you crying silly? You should be happy we found her. Though ironical is, at a place you had just selected so randomly for our escape from the ministry. May be even the fate wanted you two to meet and need I say Liza really must be precious to you that even after so many years just by having a look on her photograph you recognized her eyes and instantly knew that it was her."

"Yes she is infact very precious to me. And I do am happy that we have found her but then sad too as she so rudely stepped back from recognizing me. This mix of emotions has overwhelmed me to the point of crying you see. Merlin it's so embarrassing." Malfoy said with a chuckle.

"I really am regretting that I don't have a camera with me as I wanted to capture this moment and then later I would have published it in the witch weekly. Sure it would have become the news of the century; after all it's not like everyday one can get to see Draco freaking Malfoy crying like a baby."

"Hey! I don't cry like a baby and I am not a freak." Malfoy said, pulling away from our hug and giving me a fake offended expression. I laughed and soon he joined in too.

And then I contemplated that all through those years at Hogwarts I had seen Malfoy laughing and enjoying with his friends but never before had I seen him laughing like he was now. It was just too peculiar in its own special way. It was a laugh of happiness, genuine happiness emerging from the depth of one's heart. His ecstatic pleasure of meeting his best friend after so many years was reflected in his bell like chortle in a way that it was almost infectious and I too wanted to dance with joy. Thus in that moment a realization dawned upon me; Draco's love for Liza was really unfathomable. Though I didn't know why I felt a pang at my heart thinking this.

"Granger…" came Malfoy's voice interrupting my train of thoughts, he was eyeing me curiously.

"What?" I asked.

In response he came near me and took my hands into his own making my cheeks go pink and my heart flip. Musing at the softness of his skin I wondered how and why such actions from him always made me feel so crazy and aroused unknown emotions.

"Granger you had said that no matter if I had been rude and unfair to you through all those years at Hogwarts, under my hidden facade you were always able to see the real me whom you believed to be a good and kind person. Now I tell you one thing that I have realized in this short period of time that we have been through together. I haven't ever seen a person as nice as you Hermione. After knowing my plight you had just jumped into helping me out, promising to support me in all my perils that were to come. And must I say you have stood true to your words. When I had stated that the girl in the newspaper was Liza you didn't agree and yet for my sake you went through all the troubles for a cause you didn't even believed into. I have had so many friends in my life but I feel that after Liza if I ever have found a true friend, its you. Really Hermione you have made me realize how it is to have a person with us whom we can always trust to be on our side no matter what. It simply gives such a feeling of self satisfaction, your just being here for me makes this journey worthwhile which could have been so depressing otherwise. Spilling my heart out to you I feel so relieved and then your pep talk and the playing around with light humor always brighten me up with a new hope to keep going on." Malfoy finished.

I couldn't believe he had said all that to me. Considering that we had been with each other for only a short while, had he really come to think so high of me and saw me as a true friend? Also he had called me Hermione and not Granger. I couldn't be happier, I thought. His thumb stroked my hand as we stood smiling at each other.

"Draco I am glad you think so and also promise I'll be there for you always. That's what a true friend does. Right?" I said and even before I knew I was once again wrapped in a hug. We were developing a habit of it; I amused and then sighed happily against his shoulder wrapping my own arms around him.

"Draco Lucious Malfoy don't be so grateful already when the daunting task of pursuing your stubborn friend still remains. Also your being so nice to me is leading me to believe you aren't the jerk I knew, but someone else in his disguise." I said jokingly.

"You are so mean!" Malfoy said with pretended anger making us both chuckle and though because of the hugging position we were in I couldn't see it but knew that he had a wide smile plastered on his face just like the one on my lips. It really was such a moment of bliss.

We remained standing like that holding on to each other for a while when we heard a popping sound,

"What the bloody hell!" came the so familiar voice of none other than Ronald Bilius Weasley from behind us.

Oh boy!

TBC…..


End file.
